Boxee unveiled its first dedicated hardware product this evening at a media event in Brooklyn. The so-called "Boxee Box" will be a tiny set-top box produced by D-Link. It's scheduled to be released in the second quarter of 2010, and will cost about $200.

Details of the Boxee Box came at the end of a long presentation that also featured a walk-through of the beta version of the company's Windows and Mac software that lets users access a variety of Web-based media content through a single easy-to-use interface. (See Rafe Needleman's detailed hands-on preview of the Boxee Beta.) Company representatives have also indicated that the Boxee software may be embedded in other hardware devices that will be appearing in 2010.

Boxee

The product has the unique look of a "submerged cube" with a flat bottom and one corner pointing upward. Its AV output connections are limited to HDMI and analog RCA audio, so it'll need to be connected to an HDTV. An Ethernet port provides network connectivity, and Boxee CEO Avner Rosen hinted that the box will also have Wi-Fi. The box will ship with an RF remote control. It also has two USB ports on the back panel and the SD slot on its front gives you an idea of the device's small size.

The product page on Boxee's Web site states that the device can play "any" non-DRM media files, in addition to being able to access Boxee's online service.

The box will be demoed at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next month.

About the author

John P. Falcone is the executive editor of CNET Reviews, where he coordinates a group of more than 20 editors and writers based in New York and San Francisco as they cover the latest and greatest products in consumer technology. He's been a CNET editor since 2003.
See full bio